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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: sharp · row · pitcher · ground · can · wound · bulb · bark

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. wound — an injury
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. ground — crushed
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. can — a tin
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. can — a tin
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ground — a position
  16. can — to be able to
  17. bulb — for light
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wound — an injury
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. sharp — clever
  23. row — a line
  24. row — to paddle

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com